Decisions
by JessieWills
Summary: Carol is leaving for Johannesburg and is trying to find a way to tell Tony but when her plan doesn't go the way she originally planned, she finds herself struggling with her decisions. How do her choices impact on their lives? Disclaimer: I don't own Wire in the Blood.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever Wire in the Blood story so I have no idea how good it will be or how my characterisation will be but hopefully it'll improve as we go along. I had this idea and I was desperate to write and seeing that I have one week left before I start university I thought I might as well do it now while I have the time. **

**So please review, I love hearing from people and hopefully I'll be able to update soon if more is wanted although I have got more stories I am working on at the moment so it depends on what my brain wants to write next. **

Johannesburg.

She'd actually got the job and it was only hitting her now that there would be consequences to this job. Looking up from the various files that covered her desk, Carol brushed her fingers through her hair before glancing across at the empty desks that were in front of her. She was going to leave all this. All the colleagues and friends she'd made since she'd arrived. She was moving to another country, outside of Europe and would become the stranger in an unknown country. Breathing out, Carol leant back in her chair before shutting her eyes and thinking of the other person she'd be leaving when she left.

"Shit," she hissed before sitting up properly and opening her eyes. Tony. How was she going to tell Tony that she was leaving to go and work in Johannesburg? "Shit, shit, shit," she continued to hiss before she heard footsteps in the distance and looked up again to see Tony standing in the doorway to her office, clearly ready to leave. "Hi," she said nervously, shocking him slightly by how pale she went when she saw him.

"Carol you okay?" he asked as she nodded, forcing a smile onto her face before she stood up and grabbed her jacket before slowly approaching the door where he was waiting. "Are you sure you're okay Carol? You look ill," he questioned, clearly concerned as she nodded again, unable to think of anything to say as she turned the light off before walking towards the exit while he followed in silence. "Why don't we go and get a drink?" he suggested as she smiled at him for a moment, neither of them knowing what else to say.

"Can we go to your place and have one?" she asked, not wanting to tell him about Johannesburg in a busy bar. She wanted to talk to him properly, explain everything without someone disrupting them.

"I think I have some red wine left from the last time you were over," he commented while the two of them left the building and approaching her car as she remained silent and slowly unlocked the vehicle before climbing in while he remained standing. "We may need more than one bottle tonight," he said to himself before joining her in the car where she was waiting, her fingers tapping against the steering wheel. "Carol what's going on?"

"I desperately need a drink," she stated before starting her car and driving away from the station, desperate to get to a bottle of red wine so she could stop thinking of ways to tell Tony that she was moving to a different continent at the end of the week.

XOXOOXOXOXXOO

Resting into the corner of his sofa, Carol clung onto her glass of wine as she shut her eyes and listened to Tony paying the delivery man who had arrived moments before. Hearing the front door shut, her eyes quickly opened before Tony re-entered the room with a bag of Chinese food and a small smile covering his face.

"Smells good," she smiled, sitting up quickly as she reached across and rested her glass on the floor before taking her carton of Chinese food from the psychologist. "Thank you," Carol added as he shrugged and sat down on the floor, resting his back against the sofa as she glanced down at him for a moment. "You do have a chair over there Tony," she smirked as he shrugged and started eating his own food while she opened hers.

"I prefer it here," he responded, not noticing the sad smile that covered her face before she glanced down at the meal in front of her. How was she supposed to tell him that she was leaving? They were close friends, they were together most evenings and they were each other support systems. How was she supposed to tell him that she was leaving the country and explain why she hadn't even mentioned it to him when she'd been thinking about it for a while? "So are you going to tell me what's going on?" he asked quickly, not looking at her as she stared at him in shock. She sometimes forgot that he could practically read her like a book!

"You know after your tumour was removed," she began as he nodded slowly. "And you said that you didn't want to wait any more to do things," Carol continued, wishing that she could just say it rather than skirting around the issue.

"Yes and then you told me you wouldn't go hand gliding with me Carol," he blurted out before they both laughed at the memory. "Where's this going Carol?" he asked after they'd both fallen silent.

"I don't want to waste any more time," she said quietly as she moved off the sofa and sat down on the floor beside him. "Tony I…" she began, falling silent when they both turned to look at each other and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip.

"Carol what's going on?" he asked as she moved closer, her hand brushing against his cheek as she thought about saying goodbye to this man. He'd supported her through her cases and outside of them. He annoyed her more than anyone sometimes and yet he was the person she felt comfortable spending time with in the evening with a bottle of wine and a take away. "What's going on in that brain of yours?" he said quietly, their faces as close as possible as she continued to run her fingers across his cheek.

"Tony," she whispered before she leant forward, her lips joining his as she felt his arms move around her body while her arms tightened around his neck, their lips still moving together. "Tony," she said again when they moved away from each other. Why was this happening now? Why was she letting this happen? They'd been working together for years and yet she'd finally decided to kiss him now when she was trying to tell him that she was leaving soon! Why? Feeling his hand resting on the small of her back, Carol bit into her lip before she moved to straddle his lap and found his lips again while his hands moved up the back of her shirt. She wasn't going to let this opportunity disappear from her. She wasn't going to let Tony Hill go when he was finally this close to her because she knew what they were like and they always seemed to take steps back.

XOXOXOXOXOOXOXXO

"I need to go home," Carol said quietly as she sat up in the bed the following morning, holding the sheet to her chest as she glanced back at the man who was lying down beside her. Laughing when he pulled her back down beside him, Carol was unable to stop herself from resting beside him as he brushed his fingers across her cheek to push her hair away from her face. "I have stuff to do; I can't spend the whole day here Tony," she commented as he shrugged and kept her close, not wanting to her let disappear. "And you have to do some work," she added.

"I could just pretend to be working on a case with you," he commented as she glanced up at him for a second.

"And then you'd feel guilty because you'd be letting your students down," she stated simply before leaning across and kissing him. "Go to work, stop them from hassling you whenever you are actually working on a murder," she suggested before climbing out of the bed and grabbing his shirt, pulling it on over her body while he watched her in a mesmerized silence. She'd avoided mentioning herself in her suggestion, thinking about all the times that they'd been on cases together and how that was coming to an end because of a new opportunity.

"Carol," he said quietly, stopping her thoughts as she turned her head to glance at him. "Why now?" he asked.

"Why not?" she shrugged before moving towards the door, desperately in need of coffee and the chance to think without Tony analysing her. "I think the last year has proven that you never know what's round the corner," she said simply before disappearing out of the room, leaving Tony alone to get ready for a day at the university. Entering his kitchen now with the buttons to his shirt done up, Carol began to make herself a coffee before running her fingers through her hair. Had she really just had sex with Tony Hill when she was planning to leave the country? How was she supposed to tell him now that she was leaving when he was smiling at her like that and contemplating missing work to spend time with her? It would seem like she was using him for some fun and that she didn't care when she did. He was important to her, everyone knew that so why couldn't she bring herself to be honest with him about what was about to happen?

"Carol I need to run if I'm going to make it in on time," Tony called out before entering the kitchen, completely dressed as she nodded and turned to face him. "Can you lock the door after you leave?" he asked.

"I think I can manage that Tony," she smirked before he moved closer, his lips finding hers as she smiled nervously against them and allowed herself to enjoy a quick kiss. "I'll call you later," she suggested as he moved away and nodded before walking out of the room, the sound of him leaving echoing through the house as she turned to continue making her coffee.

"Well done Carol," she said to herself. "You've got yourself into an even worse situation now."

**What do you think then? I'm not sure but I'm always my worse critic so please review. **


	2. Chapter 2

Entering his bedroom in silence, Tony felt his smile grow as he looked across at the bed where Carol was curled up in the bed asleep. He still couldn't believe it. Carol Jordan was in his bed asleep, again! She was beautiful and here and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked so peaceful in his bed and he was enjoying spending time with her without the stress of their shared work over cases.

"Are you just going to stay in the doorway all morning?" Carol smirked as she slowly opened her eyes and glanced across at him while he smiled at her. Sitting up slowly, Carol held the blanket to her chest while Tony walked towards her with the two mugs of coffee. Taking her mug from him, Carol quickly leant forward and kissed him when he sat down before taking a sip of the warm liquid and relaxing back against the pillows. "What were you thinking about Tony?" she questioned, remembering the small smile she'd caught on his face when she'd looked across at him moments ago.

"You," he said simply, unable to stop himself from smiling when she blushed. "Sometimes I think I'm dreaming and that you won't be here when I wake up," he commented, brushing his fingers across her cheek to slip her hair behind her ear while she stared down at her coffee. How could she leave him now? They were happy together, they were enjoying their time together and she was supposed to leave that evening to go to Johannesburg. She still hadn't told him and that made her feel guilty because she was being unbelievably dishonest to him.

"Are you working today?" she asked as he shrugged. "Tony," she warned, the psychologist laughing at her as he nodded slowly, knowing that he needed to go to the university for a while. "I haven't got to go in today," she admitted, knowing that she was no longer a member of staff at the station and was therefore not expected to be there. "I could come with you to the university, we could go for lunch afterwards when you're finished," she suggested as shock covered his face. Was Carol Jordan really planning on coming to work with him? She never came to work with him!

"Don't you need to go to work," he commented as she shook her head and finished her coffee.

"I've got some time off," she lied as he smiled, leaning across again to kiss her gently. "I could keep you company while you do some work," she suggested, knowing that she wanted to spend every available moment with him before she disappeared to South Africa.

"You seriously want to come to the university with me? You'll be bored within an hour Carol," he commented as she shrugged, climbing off the bed with the blanket wrapped around her while he stared at her in amazement, unable to take his eyes off her as she disappeared in the direction of his bathroom . "You better hurry up then," he called out before moving towards his wardrobe to find something to wear.

"Go away Tony," she responded as he shook his head, unable to remove the large grin that covered his face.

XOXOOXOXOXO 

Walking around his office, Carol smiled at the collection of books that covered the surfaces while Tony worked on his lecture plans. They'd already run into Kate who had seemed shocked to learn that Tony wasn't running off with Carol to attend a murder scene but she was instead coming to the university to spend the day with him. Running her fingers across one of his books, Carol turned slowly to see that the psychologist was still concentrating on his work as she crossed her arms and moved to sit down. How was she supposed to tell him that she was leaving tonight? She should have told him sooner but every time she thought about it, it never seemed like the right time and she adored where their relationship was now.

"Tony," she said quietly, not surprised however when he didn't turn around. She knew that when he concentrated he normally didn't near her and she wasn't exactly speaking loudly.

"I don't remember the last time you took a day off Carol," Tony commented moments later, turning around in his chair to face her as she smiled.

"I can't remember the last time I took a day off," she admitted before moving out of her chair before she slowly walking over and sitting on the edge of his desk. "Have you ever heard of shelves?" she asked after a moment of silence, a laugh leaving his lips as they both glanced across at the books that covered every surface. "You put them up on the wall and they hold things, they're very easy to put up," she joked as he stared up at her.

"They would never stay on them though," Tony responded before Carol leant down and kissed him gently, unable to stop herself from smiling as they slowly moved away from each other. "Are you bored?" he asked quietly as she shrugged and sat up properly, glancing down at what he had been working on as he watched her. She looked beautiful and was clearly happy, something that made their time together even more special in his opinion. "We could probably go now before we get caught by a student and have to spend even more time here," he commented as she nodded slowly and stood up, pulling her jacket back on while he finished his work and collected the things that he needed to take home with him. "Where do you want to go for lunch?" he asked, walking down the corridor with the blonde as she shrugged and smiled across at him.

"I don't care, let's go where you want to go," she stated, the couple leaving the building in silence as he tried to think of where to take her for lunch.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"How are you feeling?" Carol asked quietly as she lay on the bed beside him, watching him as he looked at her in confusion. "After everything that happened… with the tumour," she explained as he remained silent for a moment. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want too," she quickly added, not wanting to upset him as he moved closer to her and laced his fingers with her.

"I was terrified," he admitted as he shut his eyes, glad that she was still holding onto his hand. "I was trying to act like I wasn't but at times I was terrified. Terrified of dying, terrified of not doing the things I've always wanted to do but have to put off," he explained as she brushed her fingers across his cheek while he remained silent. "I was terrified of never telling you how I feel about you," he admitted as he opened his eyes and stared up at her as she smiled weakly at him. "I didn't want anything to suddenly happen and not have the chance to tell you that you're the most important person in my life Carol," he admitted before she leant down and kissed him gently, unable to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. How was she supposed to leave him? He'd survived a brain tumour and they were happy now, they were happy together. She couldn't just leave in a few hours without him noticing, without hurting him.

"Tony, I have something to tell you," she said quietly as he stared at her, clearly concerned as she bit into her lip. "Tony I…" she began before falling silent. She had to tell him. She couldn't keep on lying to him when they were becoming so serious. "Tony I… you're important to me too," she sighed, annoyed at herself for being so weak. She was terrified of hurting him but she knew whether she told him or not he would be hurt in the end because she would be leaving.

"Do you want to go out tonight or do something?" he asked quickly as she stared at him for a moment. "Do you just want to stay here all night then Carol?" he questioned as she nodded and moved to cuddle into his side, his fingers starting to play with her hair as she shut her eyes in shame. "Carol we haven't really done anything outside of my house since this started," he commented as she remained perfectly still, not really wanting to have this conversation with him.

"Tony," she said quietly.

"Are you ashamed to be seen with me? Do you not want people to know about us?" he asked, sitting up as she shook her head and stared at him.

"I will never be ashamed of you Tony," she stated, sitting up behind him before pressing a kiss to his shoulders. "Sometimes you embarrass me with some of the things you say but I will never be ashamed to be seen with you," she explained as he turned to face her slightly, their lips finding each other's again before she breathed out. "I just want to spend time with you alone; we don't get that very often," she smiled against his skin, a small smile covering his face as he sighed. He couldn't get enough of being with Carol and he was enjoying this new and sensitive side to Carol Jordan.

XOXOXOOXOXOXOX 

Climbing out of the bed as Tony slept peacefully beside her, Carol bit into her lip before she silently started to get dressed. Pulling her t-shirt on quickly and then her jeans, Carol found herself glancing across at the man again to see him still in bed perfectly still, clearly fast asleep. Was she really doing this? Leaving him without saying goodbye? Finding her jeans on the floor where they'd been thrown earlier, Carol quickly put them on before brushing her fingers through her hair and approaching the bed again. Should she wake him up, explain quickly and promise to call him when she arrived so they could talk through everything? But how was she then supposed to explain to him why she hadn't mentioned it before when they'd spent the whole week together practically?

"Tony," she whispered, not surprised when he didn't move at the sound of her voice. She didn't really want to wake him up, she knew that! "I'm sorry Tony," she mumbled before leaning down to kiss his forehead gently, her eyes shutting for a moment to stop herself from crying at leaving him. She was Carol Jordan. She didn't cry over men! "Forgive me," she added before climbing off the bed and walking out of the room, finding her shoes before she slipped out of his home. Approaching her car, Carol quickly unlocked the door before slipping into the vehicle and resting her forehead on the steering wheel. "Shit," she hissed, moving to sit up properly before her fingers ran through her hair again. She needed to get going to the airport or she'd be late and she would risk missing her flight. "Shit, shit, shit," she continued to shout at herself before she started the car and began to drive away, desperately trying not to cry at the idea of leaving Tony Hill's life.

**What do you think? **

**Do you want me to continue? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Four Months Later **

"Tony Hill," the psychologist yawned as he sat at his desk and held the phone against his ear, already desperate to leave work for the day. Although he was still working with the police and with Alex, his hours at the university were more frequently attended and he found himself even more bored with the career he'd chosen for himself. "Yes Kate," he sighed, listening to the woman who was barking down at the phone at him for something he hadn't done again. Looking down at the marking that covered his desk, Tony shut his eyes before breathing out and immediately regretting where his thoughts were taking him. Carol Jordan. Carol bloody Jordan! How could she have left him like that? How could she have walked out of him in the middle of the night and disappeared to Africa without telling him?

"Tony are you even listening to me?" Kate immediately asked, snapping him out of his thoughts of the woman who had walked out of his life. "Look Tony, I know things have been different since Carol left but you need to snap out of it," she explained as he shut his eyes. No one knew about how his relationship with Carol had changed the week she'd left and he was fed up with people acting like they understood how he was feeling because they didn't. The woman he'd loved had just walked out on him in the middle of the night, the woman he thought trusted him and was open to him about things like that. "Tony, do you need to talk?" she asked, her voice calming slightly as he laughed and shook his head, amazed by people!

"I don't need to talk, I'm fine Kate," he said simply before the woman groaned, saying goodbye quickly before she hung up on him. Putting the phone down, Tony slowly relaxed back in his chair and glanced at the telephone for a moment, remembering all the times Carol had tried to call the house and explain and he'd refused to talk to her or had spent the whole time in silence while she attempted and always failed to explain why she hadn't told him about Johannesburg. Hearing the phone ring, Tony sighed as he reached across and lifted it up to his ear, preparing himself for another conversation about his effort at work. "Tony Hill," he muttered, fed up with people and desperate for the day to end so he could go home and hide away behind his piles of books and video games.

"Tony?" a voice asked as he sat up quickly. "Please don't hang up Tony," the familiar voice begged as he remained perfectly still. Carol? Was she now so desperate that she was calling him at work? She'd only ever tried calling his home phone and to hear her voice while he sat in his office was surreal. It almost felt like she was still in England, calling him because there'd been a murder and she wanted his opinion on the body or something significant had happened and he was needed urgently. "Tony I really need to talk to you," she begged, the tone almost unrecognisable. Carol Jordan was begging him?

"Carol," he sighed.

"Tony it's important, I need to see you," she said quickly as he laughed, clearly angry. "Please Tony, I need to see you urgently."

"I can't exactly get a taxi to Johannesburg to see you, can I Carol?" he asked in frustration, annoyed at her.

"I'm coming back Tony, we need to talk," she explained as he felt the shock cover his face. Carol was coming back? "I really need to see you Tony," she repeated unable to think of anything new to say, still slightly terrified that he was going to refuse and hang up on her like he'd done in the past. "Tony?"

"Fine," he stated. "Call me when you arrive," he stated as he shut his eyes for a moment, not knowing what else to say to her.

"Thank you Tony," Carol sighed, realising that he'd agree to meet her without their being a huge argument. "I'll see you soon then," she said quietly after a moment of silence, the psychologist nodding as he glanced across at his office.

"I guess you will," he whispered before hanging up and burying his face into his hands. Why did he have to feel like this for her?

XOXOXOOXOXXOXO 

"He's getting more confident," Tony stated as he sat in Alex's office a couple of days later, staring down at the crime scene photos as the woman paced up and down the room. "Two murders in one week," he commented to himself, continuing to stare at the bodies. He'd been glad when Alex had called, desperate for him to come in and consult on a new case and he was more than happy to help. Working took his mind off Carol. Well, it did sometimes! Sometimes Alex would find him glancing at the desk for a while, clearly remembering when it had belonged to Carol Jordan and how she'd left. Sometimes he'd just remember something and comment on how Alex did something different to how Carol would have done it. His whole world was full of memories of the woman who'd abandoned him that even his house no longer felt like home. "But he's starting to make mistakes…" he began; unaware that Alex had now turned around and was staring, like the other members of her team, at the woman who had just entered the room.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked, stopping Tony as he quickly turned and felt the shock covering his face.

"Yes, I'm Carol Jordan. I've come to see Tony," the blonde stated as Alex realised why everyone was in so much shock. Glancing at Tony, Alex watched as the psychologist looked the blonde woman up and down in complete shock. "Hello Tony," she said quietly as her hand moved to rest on the noticeable bump. "Can we talk?"

**I apologise for how long it took me to write this. I've just started university so I'm getting used to being here and doing the work and spending time with my housemates so yes, I've finally got round to my stories now. **

**Anyway, please review and I will hopefully update sooner than I have with this chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Tony?" Alex asked in shock as she continued to stand beside the psychologist who was yet to speak. Was this really the legendary Carol Jordan that she'd replaced? She was everything that Paula had described to her over the last four months although the addition of the noticeable baby bump had been left out in all descriptions and by all the shocked expressions in the room, no one had known about it until now. "Tony do you want to go and talk in my office?" she suggested, knowing that she needed to do something in order to get things into motion because currently her department were just stood still.

"Thank you," Carol said quietly to the woman who was obviously her replacement before she looked across at Tony quietly and bit into her lip. "Tony, can we go and go and talk?" she asked desperately, needing to talk to him as he remained perfectly silent and still. "We need to talk about this," she said quickly, moving closer to him as his eyes moved from looking at her before glancing down at her bump in amazement. She was really pregnant! Carol Jordan was pregnant with what he was pretty sure was his baby. "Tony please, let's just go and talk about this," she whispered, her hand moving to rest on his arm as he remained perfectly silent. "Let's go to yours or something, let's just talk."

"I have to do some work," Tony suddenly blurted out before he stepped away and looked up at her face again. "We have a case."

"Tony," both Alex and Carol said quickly, neither of them knowing what to say to each other as they turned to look at the other woman for a brief second.

"Tony, we really need to talk about this," Carol said again, knowing that his emotions were all over the place. She'd lied to him again; she'd left for another country and then lied when she hadn't called him when she'd arrived even though that's what they'd agreed to. She was also pregnant with a baby that he'd just found out about, a baby that was clearly his. "I'll leave, we can talk about everything later when you're ready Tony," she said quickly before she moved away and slowly moved towards the exit while Tony remained perfectly still.

"Carol," Paula called out before Carol had reached the door, stopping the blonde who turned to face her old colleagues. "Congratulations," she said quickly as Carol smiled and nodded before walking out of the building, not knowing what else to do but wait for Tony to calm down and want to talk to her. Turning around to face Tony, Alex sighed at the sight of the psychologist before walking towards him and smiling.

"You need to call her now," she said quickly as he nodded in silence, still not knowing what else to say to her. "You need to calm down and you need to call her."

"Alex," he whispered before they slowly moved into her office and she shut the door behind her, trying in some way to make the office more private in a desperate need to lock the rest of the world out. "She's pregnant," he said quietly as Alex nodded slowly and watched him bury his face into his hands. "She's pregnant with my baby," Tony explained, not bothering to glance up at the woman as he knew what her expression would be. Shock, like everyone's would be when they found the truth about who the father of Carol Jordan's baby was.

"So you two?" she asked nervously, knowing that no one was particularly certain on what Tony and Carol's relationship had actually been.

"Yes, we were something," he muttered before looking up and staring at the woman who was now perched on the edge of her desk. "And then she just disappeared to Johannesburg without telling me and acted like we were nothing so I don't know what we actually were," he declared, not knowing what else to say to her as he shook his head. "I didn't know she was pregnant, she said she needed to talk to me but she never mentioned…"

"And that's why you need to call her, you need to ask her about the baby, your baby Tony," Alex explained as he nodded slowly. "You're going to have a baby Tony, you're going to be a dad and I know that part of you wants to know how your baby is, how Carol is too," she smiled as he remained silent, not knowing what else to say to her even though she was making complete sense. "You really do need to talk to her Tony, sooner rather than later because right now, she's pregnant and she's probably scared, even though I know that the great Carol Jordan would never admit it," she smirked as Tony laughed and nodded. "Call her, go somewhere and have a discussion, ask about the baby."

"I can't be a dad, I'm rubbish with children Alex," he blurted out.

"I've seen you with my son; you're brilliant with children Tony. You might not know it but you are in a strange way great with children," Alex stated as he nodded and stood up, quickly moving towards the phone on Alex's desk. "Feel free," she smiled before moving towards the door and leaving him alone in the office. Reaching across for the phone, Tony sighed before dialling the familiar number and waiting for a response.

"Carol Jordan," she answered as he breathed out.

"Carol," he said quickly as she sighed. "I guess you know who I am," he stated as she laughed quietly, clearly nervous about the conversation. "How are you?" he asked.

"Okay," she responded. "We're okay," she said quickly as he nodded. "I'm sorry for just turning up, I managed to get an earlier flight and I tried calling your office but you weren't there so I guessed and before I knew what I was doing I was in a taxi to the station," she explained as he sighed, knowing that he wasn't the easiest man to get hold of. "I shouldn't have surprised you Tony; I should have gone to your house and waited for you to come home."

"It's fine Carol, it was a little bit of a shock but it wasn't a really bad surprise to see you," he commented as she remained silent and waited for him to start talking again. "How's everything with the baby?" he suddenly asked, desperate to know whether his baby was okay, whether they were both okay. "Are you both okay? How are things going?"

"The whole thing is going really well actually," she admitted. "The baby's healthy and strong. Everything is perfect," she stated proudly as he remained completely silent with a small smile on his face.

"Like you," Tony commented as she remained silent for a moment. "Where are you Carol?" he asked as he stood in Alex's office and watched his colleagues start to work again outside the office.

"At a hotel," she explained as he began to pull his jacket on while listening to Carol explain where she was staying.

"I'll be there in half an hour," he stated before saying goodbye and putting the phone down. "You're going to be a dad," he whispered to himself in amazement before leaving the security of the office, knowing that he now had to deal with the idea that he was going to be a father in a few months' time.

XOXOXXOXOXOX

"Come in," Carol greeted as she opened the hotel door to see Tony standing nervously in the hotel corridor, a small smile covering his face as he entered the room and listened to the door shut quietly behind him. "How have you been Tony?" she asked nervously as she stepped forwards and sat down on the edge of the bed while he sat down on the small sofa and stared at her in amazement, unable to stop himself from looking down at the bump again. "You can ask questions Tony," she stated as he nodded and glanced up at her, a small smile covering his face as he looked up at her.

"How are you both?" Tony asked quietly, not knowing what else to say even though he knew he'd already asked her.

"We're good thank you," she replied before sighing, realising how awkward it was. "The baby is really healthy, everything is developing properly," she stated, wanting to inform him of everything that was going on with their child. "Strong heartbeat, they have no worries about the baby. Everything just seems perfect," she continued to list before she stood up and moved towards him, hating how angry he looked at her for everything she'd done. "Tony I'm sorry," she whispered as he looked up at her and watched her for a moment, unable to take his eyes off her. She looked so beautiful; even if he didn't want to admit it he couldn't suppress the fact that pregnancy suited her. "I'm so sorry Tony," she repeated as he shook his head and moved to stand up before walking towards the window. "Tony please talk to me, just do something."

"Why did you do it?" he asked quickly, turning around to face her as she stood perfectly still. "Why did you just leave like that? You could have told me, we could have worked something else but instead you snuck out in the middle of the night like you were ashamed," he stated as she shut her eyes for a moment. "Like we were nothing to you Carol!"

"I didn't know what to do," she responded quietly, opening her eyes to glance across at him. "I had agreed to the job before we were anything Tony. I had everything sorted, my stuff had been moved out, my things had already been shipped to Johannesburg, I didn't have a choice," Carol explained as she walked towards him in silence. "Tony I had nothing left here but you and I couldn't justify staying here," she stated as he just watched her, not knowing what to say.

"You could have told me, we would have thought of something," he stated.

"I wanted to stay, I spent a whole hour just sat in my car trying to persuade myself to actually go into the airport," Carol explained as she reached across and found his hand, holding onto it tightly as he attempted to move away. "I wanted to stay and I've hated myself every day for not telling you from the moment I got the job offer," she stated as he continued to stare at her, not knowing how to respond.

"You just disappeared Carol," he sighed, unable to stop himself from glancing down her bump. "I called the office and went to visit and all of a sudden there was another woman in your office who I was being told was your replacement," Tony explained as she shut her eyes, ashamed at herself for being dishonest. "I felt like I meant nothing to you."

"Of course you meant something to me Tony," she stated. "You still mean something," she explained as she moved towards him and clutched onto his hand. "I didn't know what to do," Carol whispered as he continued to stare at her in amazement before he slowly stood up and bit into his lip in silence while she clung onto his hand in desperation, not wanting to ever let it go. "You still mean something to me, you're the father of my baby and…" she began quickly before shaking her head, not knowing what else to say to him.

"Is that all that matters? The fact that I'm the father of your baby," he stated quietly.

"Of course not, you're my best friend and you've always been something more, you know that," she explained as she shook her head slowly, not knowing what to do. "Tony we really do need to talk about everything because in five months' time I'm going to have your baby and I don't know what we are doing right now."

**I'm terrible at updating at the moment but I'm at university and finding time is a nightmare at the moment. I will update sooner hopefully with the next part but I thought I'd end it here as it was becoming a rather lengthy chapter. **


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